Sk8terboy said: Wish they'd have never ending soup as part of the deal

Their Zupa Toscana is to die for ...Go for lunch

Trickracen

Greedy Member

posted: Aug. 13, 2012 @ 1:34p

Sk8terboy said: Wish they'd have never ending soup as part of the deal

Their Zupa Toscana is to die for ....You can order the bottomless soup salad combo from the lunch menu anytime.

Pitter

Senior Member

posted: Aug. 13, 2012 @ 1:45p

Trickracen said: Sk8terboy said: Wish they'd have never ending soup as part of the deal

Their Zupa Toscana is to die for ....You can order the bottomless soup salad combo from the lunch menu anytime.

Actually you can order the bottomless soup salad combo ANYTIME - lunch or dinner. Just have to ask for it. It is a dollar or two more at dinnertime if I remember right, but still good stuff.

hooked

on a feeling

posted: Aug. 13, 2012 @ 1:51p

I've done the Salad/Soup/Breadsticks deal a couple of times and noticed that you'll get your first round of food on time, but then the waiter hides from you so it's hard to get the next round until you're out of time/patience or your body tells you you're full.

electrostatic

Loyal Member

posted: Aug. 13, 2012 @ 1:52p

Pitter said: Trickracen said: Sk8terboy said: Wish they'd have never ending soup as part of the deal

Their Zupa Toscana is to die for ....You can order the bottomless soup salad combo from the lunch menu anytime.

Actually you can order the bottomless soup salad combo ANYTIME - lunch or dinner. Just have to ask for it. It is a dollar or two more at dinnertime if I remember right, but still good stuff.

you're correct...at my local OG, they take too long to bring the "refills" out during lunch..on a typical lunch break, the average person would be lucky to get 2 refills before they have to go back to work..they suggest you're done after one refill and look at you like you're a pig if you request another..$10 for 3 bowls of soup is not a deal.. flavor is good, but not very hearty.. mostly broth.

it's great to walk in and declare "yep, I'm off work today... thought I'd go out for lunch.)

StartByServingOthers

Senior Member

posted: Aug. 13, 2012 @ 2:37p

I see several people suggesting it's difficult to get refills. Although I've never ordered the unlimited soup, I've never had any trouble getting refills on Salad or Pasta (When it's unlimited.)

I let my server know well in advance that I will be wanting more. Typically, I go ahead and order my 2nd bowl of pasta when they are dropping off the first bowl. I don't see any reason this wouldn't work equally well regarding soup.

I imagine having unlimited anything makes things difficult for a servers normal routine. A few servers may just be lazy, but if I were in their shoes, I would want to get you as much food as possible for your money. That way I would get a good tip.

EbayExpert

Senior Member

posted: Aug. 13, 2012 @ 2:40p

I wish Cheesecake Factory did a deal like this. They have a better looking wait staff.

caramelito

Senior Member

posted: Aug. 13, 2012 @ 2:54p

Sk8terboy said: Wish they'd have never ending soup as part of the deal

Their Zupa Toscana is to die for ...

I guess I can live longer and healthier without that.

A single bowl of Zuppa Toscana contains 960 milligrams of sodium, according to Olive Garden. Meaning that a bowl of it constitutes 40 percent of your recommended sodium intake. And there are 400 mg of sodium in each Olive Garden breadstick.

whudgens1

Member

posted: Aug. 13, 2012 @ 3:26p

Do you know if more "meatballs" come on the plate on a refill? thanks gang!

No refills=No tip.....one way or another you will get a deal out of this promo. I normally don't condone short-tipping waitstaff, but if they don't do their job, there is no basis to leave them squat and I will walk out without leaving a tip in that instance. On the other hand, if they keep asking me until I say I am done, they get 15-20%.

ProppaT

Senior Member - 2K

posted: Aug. 13, 2012 @ 3:48p

caramelito said: Sk8terboy said: Wish they'd have never ending soup as part of the deal

Their Zupa Toscana is to die for ...

I guess I can live longer and healthier without that.

A single bowl of Zuppa Toscana contains 960 milligrams of sodium, according to Olive Garden. Meaning that a bowl of it constitutes 40 percent of your recommended sodium intake. And there are 400 mg of sodium in each Olive Garden breadstick.

I'm not one of the health nazi's that pooh pooh all these food deals, but I would recommend that you look at the sodium content of OGs food, as it has one of the highest contents in the nation. Fat and calories, you can burn those off...sodium has a little more immediate impact on your health. If you're sodium sensitive or have high blood pressure, you'll be hard pressed to find anything on their menu that you can eat. Even the salad has a ridiculous amount of sodium. In other words, it's not possible to eat a meal at Olive Garden and stay under the 2200mg sodium limit for a normal person or a 1500mg limit for a sodium sensitive person.

StartByServingOthers

Senior Member

posted: Aug. 13, 2012 @ 4:05p

whudgens1 said: Do you know if more "meatballs" come on the plate on a refill? thanks gang!

I wouldn't expect it too. There are meat sauces as part of the deal, but no meatballs.

You're going to have to pay extra if you want them, and they will probably not be unlimited.

UPDATE: Just saw a banner add that says for $2.95 add unlimited meatballs, chicken, or sausage for $2.95

StartByServingOthers said: whudgens1 said: Do you know if more "meatballs" come on the plate on a refill? thanks gang!

I wouldn't expect it too. There are meat sauces as part of the deal, but no meatballs.

You're going to have to pay extra if you want them, and they will probably not be unlimited.if you paid extra for meat, your refills will be with meat.

rshaslam

Senior Member

posted: Aug. 13, 2012 @ 4:47p

I always order my refill when they bring the first round. That way you always have food coming. Did this at Wingers the other day for endless sticky fingers. By the time we started the second round, she said there was already a third on the way. Too much to finish so she gave me a take home container.

Agree with the poor service = no tip. I also have a rule that if my drink sits empty for too long, the tip goes down.

Endless pasta for me = a box of noodles and some home made sauce from the garden. Feed the whole family for less than $2. That does not include breadsticks, but a loaf of french bread for $1 fills that void.

Have not been back since they discontinued my favorite sauce.

Good luck all.

Trickracen

Greedy Member

posted: Aug. 13, 2012 @ 5:13p

Pitter said: Trickracen said: Sk8terboy said: Wish they'd have never ending soup as part of the deal

Their Zupa Toscana is to die for ....You can order the bottomless soup salad combo from the lunch menu anytime.

Actually you can order the bottomless soup salad combo ANYTIME - lunch or dinner. Just have to ask for it. It is a dollar or two more at dinnertime if I remember right, but still good stuff.I do believe that's what I said anytime. And its the same price.

Tequila477

Senior Member

posted: Aug. 13, 2012 @ 5:24p

I love the OPs topic. Ever since Mel Gibson had that rant, I find myself quoting him around the house. It's too damn funny. Great deal also, OP. Thanks!

StartByServingOthers said: A few servers may just be lazy, but if I were in their shoes, I would want to get you as much food as possible for your money. That way I would get a good tip.

The servers know that, on average, the people who come in and order nothing but soup and salad or plain pasta (and usually just drink water) aren't going to be big tippers no matter how much they run around.

They're probably over spending their time on the tables who are ordering something from the bar, full entrees, and might be open to dessert. Their checks will be higher and they'll probably tip more like 20% minimum on top of that.

linrick

Anymoo?

posted: Aug. 13, 2012 @ 8:03p

SteelRing said: wasnt this $7.99 not too long ago?no, it was $8.99 for the longest time.

vipercon

Senior Member

posted: Aug. 13, 2012 @ 8:45p

Doppler4000 said: The servers know that, on average, the people who come in and order nothing but soup and salad or plain pasta (and usually just drink water) aren't going to be big tippers no matter how much they run around.

They're probably over spending their time on the tables who are ordering something from the bar, full entrees, and might be open to dessert. Their checks will be higher and they'll probably tip more like 20% minimum on top of that.

It is attitudes like that with servers that I can't stand. I will a lot of times order cheap items and water, because that is what I want. If you don't treat me like a poor a-hole who is going to stiff you then it is not uncommon to get a $10 tip on a $15 bill. On the other hand when you do act like that all your dreams come true and you get very little to nothing, just like you had planned.

Good wait staff makes or breaks the experience. I'm very generous when the service is great, and I'm stingy and mean when it isn't. If somebody doesn't want to do their job well, I'll be damned if I'll reward them with a tip beyond "keep the beverages from running dry next time."

granjero

Geeky member

posted: Aug. 13, 2012 @ 9:54p

If you like this, you might like Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes. It's a buffet, so you have to get out of your seat and get the food yourself. The waitstaff only comes around to refill drinks, take away empty plates, and deliver cookies.

bjork73

Nerdy Member

posted: Aug. 14, 2012 @ 3:13a

granjero said: If you like this, you might like Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes. It's a buffet, so you have to get out of your seat and get the food yourself. The waitstaff only comes around to refill drinks, take away empty plates, and deliver cookies.

Heh, you must have a Souplantation w/ better service than the one near me - not that I have ever expected it, but I've never had anybody offer to refill a drink, and have had cookies offered only a couple of times. Sometimes even the plates don't get cleared, as they should. I like the food, and that keeps me going, but I probably would go more often if the service was more consistent.

As for Olive Garden, I can't bring myself to go to an "Italian" restaurant that can't even cook the pasta right (learned the hard way a few years ago)

The price is only $1 more than it was last year. As everything seems to have gone up, this doesn't seem out of line or unexpected.

jnheinz

Senior Member - 1K

posted: Aug. 14, 2012 @ 7:57a

+1 on the waiters hiding after the first round. They should be ramming it down your throat to get you out faster, so they can earn their tips & seat more people.. no? Is that not the strategy, regardless of all-you-can-eat or not?

aares

Senior Member

posted: Aug. 14, 2012 @ 8:53a

I feel so bad for the waiters at OG when a deal like this comes around. It just screams "you are a damn fat ass, come in and eat 15,000 calories for $9 +$1 tip"

aares

Senior Member

posted: Aug. 14, 2012 @ 8:59a

jnheinz said: +1 on the waiters hiding after the first round. They should be ramming it down your throat to get you out faster, so they can earn their tips & seat more people.. no? Is that not the strategy, regardless of all-you-can-eat or not?

Actually, its OG management that controls this. They are TOLD to do this. You really think the waiters wouldnt want to fill you up quick and get the forklift to remove your bodies from the seat so it can be bleached and cleaned for the next guest? They are told to give untimely service between bowls of pasta. Why do you think it takes so long just to get a small bowl of pasta? Also, why do you think they only start you out with 3-4 bread sticks at a time?

My wife and I once ordered soup+salad combo (one each).We both are light eaters. I must have had 1 salad serving + 2 bowls of soup.She had 1/2 salad and one bowl. She ordered second bowl. Took a few sips and declared she was done.I hated wasting the food so I asked for a doggy bag.The waitress got a doggy bag but admonished us; said we should not ask for doggy bag for unlimited dishes.

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